The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-04-28


The following editorial is what the Times
Union calls the worst of series of
abusive articles" and from this sample
we leave the public to judge of the
whole:
THE DRAINAGE FRAUD.
Ptiidtka Ne,cs, March 1885,
Some of our contemporaries seem to
be strangely at fault with respect to the
past and present relations between the
State of Florida, as represented by the
Trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund and the Atlantic and Gulf Coast
Canal and Okeechobee Land Company.
Yet the materials are public property
easily accessible, and the Importance of
a correct understanding can not be- over
estimated.
Under the act of September %. 1850.
the United States granted the swamp
and overlooked lands To theState for pItI',
poses Of Internal improvement This at
once.created trust. which has been
confided to "A Board consisting of the
Governor. Comptroller. Treasurer. At
tOrney General and Commissioner of
Lands anA Immigration. who are ex-
otficio the Trustees of the Internal I'M
provement Fund. What is popularity
known as the Drainage Company CON
ell. Albert b. Linderman. Whitfield Ii.
Drake, W. &. Parsons and VIM. III.
Wright, and others VINO We're afterwards
added.
With this company articles of agree
ment called the drainage Contract"
were e.i,ered into on February %, 1881.
by the Board of Internal Improvement
pledging alternate sections ITO b.
| reclaimed and rendered nit for cHitird-
he work nt
draining the lands now sub
ject to overflow by Lake Okeecho-
bee the kissimmee River and
| its branches, and the lakes con-
| tiguOus to said river, whose waters now
| flow or can be made to flow into said
river, or into Lake Okeechobee, or into
| Caloosahatchie River, or Miami
| riled, hOrerer, that no canals or
| cuts shall be made, dug or constructed,
| unless the same be necessary to reduce the
| truters of said Lake OkeechObee, to effect
| the said object of drainage and per
| mdHeHtiy reclaim said lands" The par
ties are now clearly seen To be without
relation to the Federal Government, and
| the contract we hope understood.
| Up to January |, 1881, the total
| patents received from the Government
| conveyed to the State II ,S31 .s39. OF acres.
| On March 18th. 1882, Hon. Silas l.. Nib
| lack was appointed to- examine, for the
| Trustees. the general character of the
| lands within said limits with respect to
their liability To overflow, and To esti-
mate what proportion of said lands will
| be reclaimed by the work OF drainage
| contracted to be done, etc. He made a
| partial examination, and advised that il
! would not pay to make IL thorough
| survey, so as to designate what lands
| We're not subject to overflow.
| On July ~, 1889. j. NJ. <reamer. for
| the Drainage Company, asked that, in
| view of the progress made under their
contract, one hundred and fifty thous-
| and acres be- advanced To- them; which
| was done.
| On December 20, 1884. David L. Dun
| ham. special agent. reported the result of
| an investigation made by him. in com
| pany with James NJ. Dancy State
| Drainage Engineer. On August IL. 1881.
| I'll. >. Duval, after an investigation made
| in company with j. NJ. Kreamer. chief
| engineer of the Drainage Company. re-
ported IA list of townships permanently
reclaimed by the operations of the
Drainage Company. and the total
summed up else ,4l2.27 acres. On No
vember 16. 1891. The report of James
NJ. Dancy. who was appointed to exam
inc the southern or Caloosahatchie divis-
ION of the drainage district, was submit
ted to the Board and ordered spread
upon the minutes; whereupon it was
| ReSOired, That the salesman he in
structed to- prepare deeds for the Allan
tic and Gulf Coast Canal and Okeecho-
bee Land Company, to such of the land
embraced in said report as they are EN-
titled to under their contract of Drain
| age.
In this report Mr.. Dancy gives the list
of townships. as recited by the State En-
| gineer, and concludes: Il have person
| ally examined the lands embraced in the
above list. and find that they have been
| permanently drained and reclaimed by
the operations of the Atlantic and Gull
| Coast Canal and OkeechObee Land Com
pany, and rendered tit for cultivation. Ii
Is nv opinion that should the
Drainage Company keep the streams and
canals even in the condition that they
are now in, the country will never suffer
from flood seasons again. but will con
stantly improve and become better
drained l was engaged about one
month IN making the examination. and
devoted my whole time to it.
| The last Legislature requested Cover
nor Perry To name three commissioners.
who should examine these lands and re-
port. The Governor appointed Messrs.
Daniel, Bradford and Davidson on No
vember II, 1885. These gentlemen.
I
every citizen. report on February 4.
1897. that not one acre has been peT-Bld-
HeHtly reclaimed but $4,000 acres hare
been rendered more or less mt for cHitiru-
H-thdt the tcork Of the company as en-
tirefg insufficient. and recommend that
the State take measures to protect ats IN
terests.
These are the facts. shortly given. per
tinent to the purpose of explanation.
The italics throughout are our OirH. III
the report of the commissioners is true,
the agents of the State through whom a
robbery of n million acres was perpe-
trated can only plead the baby act which
excuses incompetency, ignorance and
neglect. When it Is remembered that
they Were employed as experts, and are
supposed to be gentlemen of high scien-
| titic attainmentS. the plea will
avail little. The commissioners make
no report till they have seen
the district under varying circum-
stances-in drought and food-in all
| sesiSonS-covering period from Nov.
l11. 1885, To Feb. 4. ISSs Did the ex-
| perts do their work as thoroughly l.
an examination of about one month
entitled to the same credit:
We have said that robbery on scale
! so gigantic was impossible without
fraud or collision, ii rests with others
tn affix the brand of guilt or clear the
innocent. In Justice to all parties n full
and thorough investigation Is absolutely
necessary. Ii the Drainage Company Is
innocent of attempt to obtain a valuable
consideration under false pretenses. il
must exonerate itself by executing
| pledges which shall secure the State
against all danger of loss. Ii the State
is Just To itself il must see to it that the
| fruits of the fraud are NOT made sa,-flrs